coimbra coolectiva is a magazine about people and causes, built by a team that believes in the transformative role of solution-focused journalism, surpassing that of news focused on problems. these stories are not only more interesting and constructive but also inspire and mobilize people to contribute and participate in shaping the future of a city.
solution-oriented stories identify responses to local challenges, making journalism an important tool for building a more attentive and informed community.
beyond journalism, coimbra coolectiva embodies an interventionist attitude: from neighborhood groups coming together to improve public space, to organizations providing crucial social responses, and businesses incorporating environmental and social concerns into their business models, caring for their internal community and engaging in community causes.
local journalism is a means of reaching people and prompting a shift in mindset. rather than focusing on what is wrong or not working, we want people to see what we can do on our street, in our neighborhood, at our workplace, and in our children's school. there is so much within our reach!
the magazine fulfills its informative and mobilizing role, but we felt that our community needed moments of connection. these took the form of conversations, debates, speed meetings, a human library, games, and other initiatives. still, it was necessary to create a tool that would transform citizen goodwill into concrete action resulting in impactful projects in coimbra.
generation coolectiva was that step forward: a free program open to the community, that attracted around 130 participants of different ages and backgrounds. the program launched in the former facilities of former publishing house coimbra editora, in a charismatic building that became an idea powerhouse.
“dreamers-doers” were all those people who answered our call. a strong energy circulated around a common purpose: a better, more sustainable, inclusive coimbra with more opportunities.
we felt the richness of diversity in ages, professional backgrounds, education, and enthusiasms on various scales. no one was a mere spectator; each person brought their vision to the idea development process for our city, coimbra.
following this ignition afternoon and brainstorming session, a group of participants continued in a five-week capacity-building program with various mentoring sessions. the result was projects already making an impact in coimbra, such as the "eu também" movement, a network of street representatives actively improving public spaces, and the "humanizar a saúde em coimbra" association aiming to bring a human touch to medical care in the city's institutions, among others.
at coimbra coolectiva, we do journalism with impact. we tell stories that inspire the community, which in turn develops initiatives that transform the place we live and work—stories that will inspire others. it's a powerful and endless journey, the ability to contagiously impact the world with an attentive, empathetic, and interventionist attitude.
we invite you to also become an agent of change, and then tell us how you are changing your city, one idea and project at a time.
joana pires araújo is a former lawyer specialized in european and competition law, now co-director of online magazine coimbra coolectiva.
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